Automatically-operated railroad gate



L. KO-KOVAI. AUTOM'ATICALLY ORERATED RAILROAD GATE. APPLx/wmu FILED um'. 1a, |922.

2 A363964. Patented Nov. 28, 1922,

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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AUTOMATIQALLY OPERATED RAILROAD GATE. APPLlcATloN FILED JAN. 13, 1922.

Patented NOV. 28, 1922.,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i L. KoKovAl. AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION FI-LED JAN. 13, 1922.

1943,@964, muted Nov. 289 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- las QUARZ" tOi Patented Nov. 23, 1922.

LAWRENCE KOKOVAI, 0F DANTE, VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATED RAILRQAD Application led January 13, 1922. Serial No. 529,007.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, LAWRENCE Koxovnr, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Dante, in the county of Russell and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatically- @perated Railroad Gates, of which the tollovving is aspeciticatio'n. A

This invention relates to an automatically operated railroad gate and it has for an object to provide a novel device whereby a railroad gate will be operated by an approaching train, and further, to combine therewith a signal which will give warning of the immediate closing` of the gate.

'For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and t0 the appended claims in which the various novel features ot the invention are more particularly set `t'orth.

Fig. 1 ol' thedrawings is a plan view of my improved automatically operated railroad gate.

Fig.` 2 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the operating means, on a larger scale than Fig. 1.

1n Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings 1 have shown a section of. a railroad track comprising rails l10 and ties 11. On each side of the track there is a gate comprising posts 12 having` hinged thereto bars 13 normally held in raised position by springs 14. These bars 13 have attached thereto wires 15 which lead around suitable pulleys 16 to a drum 17. Leading rearwardly from drum 17, around pulleys 18, is a single pair of Wires 19 which wind on a second drum 20 mounted on a bracket 21. By rotating drum 2O the gates are operated.

Torotate drinn 20 a V-block 25 is fixed on the end of a bar 26 slidable transversely of one of the track rails 10, the apex of block 25 being yieldingly engaged with the inner face 'of the rail tread. Theopposite end of bar 2 6 is connected to a lever 27 'fulcrumed at one end to a bracket 2 The other end ot lever 27 connects to a transverse rack bar 28 slidable in a guide-bracket 29 andlengaged bya pinion 30 loose on a shaft 31 extending longitudinally beside the rail. A. spring pressedypawl32 is mounted on pinion 30 and engagesa ratchet wheel 33 fixed on shaft 31. A tension spring 34 is connected to bar 28 and urges the same in a direction to keep the V-block 25 pressed against the rail. Shaft 31 istormed in two sections united by ratchet faced clutch elements 36, one section being universally jointed as at 37. The clutch elements 36 are held yieldingly engaged with oneanother` by means of a coiled expansionspring 38.

Loosely mounted on shaft 31 is a sprocket wheel 40 which is connected by a chain 41 with asecond sprocket wheel 42 on an axially movable shatt 43 having a flattened torward portion 44. This shaft is `guided in suitable members 45 on the bracket 21. l

rlhe forward end ont this shaft has mounted thereon a spring pressed pawl 46 engaging a ratchet wheel 47 lixed on1 drum 20. vFixedA As drum 20` is rotated step by step the Yropes are moved to likewise rotate drum 17 and lower the gate bars 13. To hold the bars 13 against upwardmovernent one end of drum 17 has fixed thereto a ratchet wheel 50 engaged Vby af spring pressed pawl 51 carried on a disk 52 loose' on the drum trun nion. lnthis disk 52 are closely spaced and resting on a stud openings 53 into which abolt 54, on one end ot a bell'crank lever 55,`engages. To the other en'd of lever 55lis connected one end or a cable 56 whose opposite end connectsv to a bell crank lever 56 operated by a il-block 57 on a sliding bar 58 when the train' has passed the crossing it engages V-block 57 and thus causes thebolt 54 to be retracted, leaving drum 17 free to rotate in a reverse direction under the influencent springs 14. A second rope `59 leads from bell crank 55 back to a lever 60 passing be; tween a pair of pins 6l carried bylevers 2'( so that upon lever 27 being operated when another train approaches. the road the bolt 54 will be reset. l .y f

The signal device comprises an arm 65 pivoted on an offset 66 from a post` 67 and having formed thereon an angular tinge'i` 68 connected by a link 69 with a bell Vcrank 70 mounted in post 67. Extending longitudinally of the track is a shaft 7l having a ycrank element 72 connected by a link 73 with the bell crank 70.

Located at any suitable distance in advance of the V-block-2'5 is a second V-block 7 5 mounted lon a bar 76 connected to an arm 77 lpivoted at one endV as at 78 and engaged With a v'rack bar 79 slidable inta guide member 8O similar to the member 29. This rack bar 7 9. liavingoperative connection ivithnthe shaft 7l by means identical with that shown in Fig, 3. As the Wheels of the train successively engage the Vblock 7 5 the signal larm 65 Will .be oscillated, giving Warning of the approach of the train and the immediate closing of the gate. Reverse movement of shaft7l k.is prevented by a ratchet and pawl device 85.

To close the gates by hand a shaft 86 is providedwith a crank handle 87 and is connected by gears 88 Withasecond shaft 89:, parallel to shaft 3l. Shaft 89 is connected by a sprocket chain 90,4looped over suitable sprocket wheels With shaft 3l, one of these sprocket wheels having a ratchet and pawl connection with its shaft, similar to the connection of gear 30 with shaft 31'.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

l. ln combination Withl a railroad track, pairs of hinged gate bars, a drum, ropes leading from said bars to said drum, a disk loose on the drum trunnion, a ratchet Wheel xed on the drum, a paivl `on the disk engaging the ratchet Wheel, a locking bolt engaging said disk, means adapted to be operated by a train 'after passing the gate bars to retract said bolt, and means for rotating said drum step by step. Y l

2. In combination with a railroad track, pairs of hinged gate bars, a drinn, ropes leading from said bars to 'said drum, a disk loose on the drum trunnion, a ratchet Wheel liked on the drum, a pawl on the disk en gaginrr the ratchet Wheel, a 'locking bolt en gaging said disk, means adapted to be operated by a train after passing the gate bars to retract said bolt, and means for rotating said drum step by step, said last means comprising a second drum, ropes connecting the tWo drums, and a movable train operated device adjacent a trackrail and operatively connected to said second drum,

8. In combination with a railroad track, pairs of hinged gate bars7 a drum, ropes leading from said bars to said drum, a disk loose on the drum trnnnion, a ratchet- Wheel fixed on the drum, a paWl on the disk engaging the ratchet Wheel, a locking` bolt engaging said disk, means adapted to be operated by a train after passing the gate bars to retract said bolt, and means for rotating said drum step by step, said` last means comprising a second drum, ropes connecting the two drums, and a movable train yoperated device adjacent a track rail and operatively connected to said drum'7 the operative con-l nection between said train .operated device and drum including a ratchet Wheel fixed to said drum, an axially movable shaft, and

a pawl on said shaft adapted to move into and out of engagement with said ratchet Wheel. y

4. ln combination With a railroad track, pairs of hinged gate bars, a drum, ropes leading from said bars to said drinn, a disk loose on the drum trunnion, a ratchet Wheel iiXed on the drum, a paw] on the disk engaging theratchet Wheel, a locking bolt engaging said disk, means adapted to be' operated by a train after passing the gate bars to retract said bolt, and means tor rotating said drum step by step, and means adapted to be actuated by a train tor releasing said bolt. Y

5. In combination with a railroad track, pairs of hinged gate bars. a drum, ropes leading from said bars to said drum, adisk loose on the drum trunnion, a ratchet wheel xed on the drum, a paivl on the disk engaging the ratchet wheel, a locking bolt engagingsaid disk, means adapted to be operated by a train after passing the gate bars to retract said bolt, and means for rota-ting said drum step by step, and means adapted to be actuated by a train for releasing said bolt, said last means comprising a lever on which said bolt is mounted, an element adapted to be opera-ted by a train, and 'a cable connecting said element and lever;

6 ln combination With a railroad track, pairs of vhinged gate bars, a drum, ropes leading from said bars to said drum, a disk loose on the drum trnnnion, a ratchet Wheel fixed on the drinn, panal on the disk enng the ratchet Wheel, a locking bolt enng said disk, means adapted to be oper# ated by a. train after passing t-he gate bars to retract said bolt, and means Jfor rotating said drum step Vby step, said last means comprising a second drum, ropes connecting the tivo drums, and a movable train operated device adjacent a track rail vand operatively connected to said second drum, the opera tive. connection' between said train operated device and 'drum including a slidable bar on which said train operated device is mounted, a spring engaging said bar and 1,436,964 v Bf pressing said train operated device against sha-ft caryin'g a pawl adapted to engage said the rail, a level.` arm to which said bar is ratchet Wheel, and a sprocket Wheel threadconnectecl, a rack-bar connected to said 1eed on said last shaft and operatively con- 30 ver arm, a. pinion engaging said rack-bar, a neoted to said i'st shaft- 5 shaft with which said pinion has a ratchet ln testimony whereof l have aiiixed my and pawl connection, a ratchet Wheel fixed signature. to said drum, a longitudinally movable LAWRENCE KOKOVAI. 

